Maintaining Running Fitness While Injured?

charlatte987

Long story short, I either have a grade 2 calf strain (most likely), or worst case scenario (not very likely, but still possible) compartment syndrome. Trying to get a doctors appointment for the MRI prescription. I've been f*cking around the past month doing half assed workouts, trying to run through this, which has been doing an easy 3 miles every other day and 20 mile weeks tops, as opposed to my usual 8 mile workouts and 50 mile weeks, working towards a sub 20 5k... I'm very angry about this hehe, I'm sorry.

ANYWAY, I'm looking to gain fitness in other aspects, such as biking, swimming, rowing, etc, which will hopefully translate well into my distance running. I'm really out of shape, and I'm quite frustrated about it. I look fine (5,4", 120 pounds), but my cardiovascular fitness is suffering greatly. I was thinking Triathlon training; doing the bike and swim workouts, and maybe replacing running with rowing? Any advice on how to maintain it while injured would be great, especially as we enter the colder months. Thanks so much.

SLHysell

I was down for a couple of months with a knee injury and I wasn't nearly at the level you are. I feel your frustration though. Some gyms have the "hand" exercise bike type machines that help with cardio, but I think swimming and especially rowing are great ideas. You may TRY out the bike and/or other cardio equipment at the gym and see if they bother the injured area. Hopefully, you can least you can maintain the cardio fitness while you wait to heal. You could set them on ultra-low resistance levels so they don't aggravate the injury.

The key, of course, is to NOT make the injury worse by working through it. It will need time to heal. If you get antsy and get back to the long runs too soon, you could end up benched for a very long time.

47Jacqueline

I'm recovering from a broken leg and have been in an immobilizer for the past month. Although I can't get to the gym, I've been doing workouts in my apartment, just not bending the leg or doing any standing stuff. I get a lot of cardio exercise just from walking on crutches, but I do other floor exercises at least 3x a week. I think I'm pretty good to have stopped the atrophe of the injured leg, just need pt for flexibility and some strength in that leg.

I do push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises (side/front), work with weights for my arms. Also, for cardio I do chair Zumba.

handyrunner

The bad part is...when they say you lose about 10% of your conditioning for every week off running...they mean it.
im just recovering from a broken ankle..and my runs suck....i used to be able to run 2 or 3 hours continues and right now im struggle with 30 min...its coming back but its fustrating...be prepared for that and dont let it get you down...

charlatte987

Thank you guys. I can do my easy runs no problem, but speedwork is already a *****. I did a speed workout (which really killed me, and I think that's what made my calf strain a grade 2), and I was so freakin' slow. Like, it wasn't even the injury, I was just SLOW. I've been biking, and as long as I don't push too hard, my calf isn't aggravated. what i'm thinking is this, since recovery should be 4 weeks (hopefully)

Week 1: Stretching 2x/day (not calf; it hurts now), Body weight Strength (Pull Ups, Push Ups, Planks). Lots of Icing, compression, elevation, rest, etc.
Week 2: Same as Week 1, but with rowing, swimming, cycling as handled, and light calf stretching as handled).
Week 3: Same as Week 2
Week 4: Same as Week 3, but including Running drills like skipping, hopping, and jumping if tolerated.

As for the swimming, biking and rowing workouts, I certainly want to have a long bike in there, but I know I need interval training, as well as steady state cardio training.

charlatte987

Scratch biking or rowing, and even bodyweight. Doing push ups and planks hurt (I gues because I flexed the calves?) and rowing didn't go well either. Biking I can't go hard either. I'm so lost and upset. I don't want to start back from square 1